Waste
A byproduct that is created from an action that is not necessary to the needs of that action. Although the byproduct may have a positive or negative characteristic, the term waste does not have a positive or negative connotation.
There are many cases where the term is associated negatively as an off residue from mechanical and industrial processes. However, believing that all waste is deemed unnecessary or without purpose undermines its true potentials as a material.
Example: Waste heat from a petroleum plant is appropriately labeled even though that material (excess or by-product heat) could be used to heat residences or heat roadways to prevent ice buildup and reduce the need for salt and maintenance services. Therefore, the term "waste" needs to qualified and evaluated, because a more contemporary attitude may never implement the word as a negative artifact.
As Rybczynski presents in From Pollution to Housing, even a reality such as pollution has the potential to become an entirely new entity with potential uses. A bottle does not inherently become a discarded piece of plastic but instead society allows it take on those characteristics. However, the research into E-Waste suggests that those preconceived notions can be questions, and perhaps should be, because even toxic materials have the ability to redefine economic structures and create networks based on an otherwise discarded material.